Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-05-12
Labor's Road to Wealth.

1t is a trite, though none the less true,
saying that drink is labor's worst enemy.
but it cannot be too often reiterated that
abstinence from alcoholic liquors would
make wage-workers the masters, in a
short time, of tremendous amount Of
capital. The drink bill of the United
States is not less than S700.00O,0OO
year, many believing it to be nearer
81 900, 100000 OF this vast sum not
less than $500 100000 falls to the wages
earning class. The total money value
of the imported liquors of all kinds and
of the domestic wines and choice whis-
kies, etc, consumed mainly by the CAPT
talist or employing class. and by EN-.
plcyes who are not manual workers, is
Insignificant in comparison with cost Of
the common whisky and beer which is
chiefly paid for by the muscle-workers
of the country. Leaving out of account
the enormous indirect loss which these
figures imply, the waste of time, strength,
and energy, the destruction of ambition
and character, and the sickness and
helplessness resulting, the tax of half a
billion dollars year is terrific. In a
little more thad two Years that sum an
nually would wipe out the interest bear4
ing debt of the United States. The
wage workers of the country could buy
up the national banks in year and a
half by applying their beer and whisky
money to that purpose, and in about II
years they could own the entire railway
plant of the United States and be "bloat-
ed bondbolders' on huge scale. The
comparatively short space of fifteen
years would suffice, if the drink money
of wage workers was aggregated and
invested as a whole, to buy up the whole
railway system, the national banks, the
State banks, the fire and life insurance
companies, and river marine. The class
which is now farthest from the capitalt
istss would then own and control the
means of transportation, the banking
system, and the entire insurance bust
ness of the United States. 1t would
rule Wall street and the money markets
of the whole country, and would com
mand enormous sums for any desired
purpose. The net earnings of the ma
tional banks are only about S60,O00,OOC
a year, or less than one-eighth of the
sum wasted in strong drink by the
working class. The net earnings of the
railroads, out of which all interest and
dividends must come, were but $267,'
600. 900 last year, or about one-half of the
sum spent in the same time for liquor
by the wage earners. To buy the West
ern Union Telegraph Company, stock
bonds, and all, would be hagatelle, and
that particular monopoly would repre-
sent the investment of not more thar
six weeks savings. Jay Gould's fortune
might mean abstaining from liquor fol
three months, at most, and labor's new
fund would pass the sum total of all the
Vanderbilt possessions In six months
In one year 100000 houses costing 81 ,O0(
apiece could be built, or 250.000 worth
$4,000. That is to say, every working
man in Ohio who is the head of family
could be given fine home. Such CON-
parisons might be multiplied indefinite
ly, but enough has surely been said tC
show the monstrous weight of the bur-
den of drink self-imposed upon manual
workers of the United States. 1t is the
most imposing temperance argument
ever made, and carries its own commit
Evidently Mr.. Powderly is on the right
track when he fights hard against the
liquor trafice and use of intoxicants by
Knights of Labor. If he could succeed
in making the memyers of the order to-
tai abstainers he would insure theil
comfort and prosperity as body. and de
more than Henry Georges land lunacy
or any other nostrum to abolish power
ty."-Cleveland Leader.